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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. game — a match
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. plane — a tool
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. chest — of your body
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. game — wild animals
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. lean — thin
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. chest — a box
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. lean — to bend
  20. pitch — completely
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. pitch — a sales talk

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com